Control system



A. W. KIMBALL CONTROL SYSTEM Nov. 19, 1946.

Filed June 14, 1944 ffy. z.

/mpers ffy 4 MQQX BY fm ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 19, 1946 CONTROL SYSTEM Albert W. Kimball, Forest Hills, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 14, 1944, Serial No. 540,175

7 Claims.

My invention relates to control systems of the variable voltage type and particularly to systems containing an auxiliary regulating generator for limiting the load current of a motor to be controlled, systems and generators of this kind being disclosed in the copending applications by J. G. Ivy, Serial No. 496,596, filed July 29, 1943, and Serial No. 532,975, filed April 27, 1944, both assigned to the assignee of the present application.

An object of my invention is to provide a control system of the type just referred to that produces not only a load limiting regulating effect, but is also distinguished by increased accuracy and speed as regards its response of the motor to changes in control adjustment while being substantially free of hunting even at a high rate of change of the control adjustments.

Another object of my invention, with reference to hoists, particularly mine hoists, is to provide a hoist control system in which the torque of the hoist motor and hence the stress on the ropes and other mechanical hoisting equipment are automatically limited due to control characteristics inherent in the electrical control system and in which the hoisting speed is a function of the selected controller position regardless of the amount of load, thus reducing the degree of attention and skill for operating the hoist.

In order to achieve these objects and in accordance with my invention, I provide the motorgenerator combination of a variable voltage drive with two auxiliary generators for controlling the eld excitation of the main generator. One of these auxiliary generators, hereinafter called the control generator, has a self-excited field winding rated for just sustaining the armature voltage and further field means whose voltage is adjusted under control by the operator. (When referring in this specification to self-excited windings, I use this term for designating a i'leld winding which, in contrast to a separately excited Winding, derives its excitation from the energy generated in the armature of the same machine.) The other auxiliary generator, hereinafter called the regulating generator, has saturation characteristic so that it generates an armature voltage substantially only when its eld excitation exceeds a given finite magnitude. The regulating generator has eld means excited in dependence upon the load current of the motor to be controlled. The armatures of both auxiliary generators are connected to a eld winding of the above-mentioned main generator so that its excitation depends on both the operator-adjusted cri voltage and the saturation dependent voltage generated by the regulating generator.

These and other objects and features, as well as a specic example of a control system embodying them, will be apparent from the following description of the mine hoist control system shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and elucidated by the explanatory diagram of Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and the detail showing in Fig. 5 of the pole structure of an appertaining regulating generator.

Referring to the hoist control system shown in Fig. 1, the hoisting equipment proper is schematically indicated at and includes a hoisting drum whose shaft 2 is mechanically connected to the armature I of a driving motor HM. The motor has a separately excited winding and a compensating series field winding l2. The eld winding is energized from a current source of substantially constant voltage, and to this end is connected through an adjusting rheostat RI to an exciter EX with an armature 50, two eld windings 5| and 52, and a field rheostat R1. The adjustment of rheostats RI and Rl need not be changed during the operation of the system.

The armature |0 of the hoist motor HM is connected, in load circuit Al, with the armature of a main generator MG which forms the current source of circuit AI. The main generator I MG has a main eld winding 2| connected in a control circuit A2 which includes in series two voltage sources represented by the armatures and of a control generator CG and a regulating generator RG, respectively. A resistor R2 is series-arranged in circuit A2. Numeral 22 denotes a compensating or interpole winding of the main generator MG.

The control generator CG has four eld windings 3|, 32, 34, and 35 which cooperate in controlling the voltage impressed on the main generator eld winding 2|. The resultant energization of winding 2| determines the voltage and current supplied by the main generator armature 2U through circuit A| to the hoist motor HM, thereby controlling the torque and speed of the hoisting equipment driven by the motor HM.

The current in circuit A2 is principally determined by the excitation of eld winding 3|, hereinafter called the pattern eld winding of the control generator CG. Field Winding 32 is selfenergized and serves to amplify the control effect. While the connection of winding 32 in circuit A2 is shown as a series arrangement, a shunt winding may be used instead. Considering the eX- citation of pattern eld winding 3| as a standard and assuming that main generator MG supplies energy to the hoist motor rather than functioning in a regenerative sense, both windings 32 and 35 act cumulatively while winding 3i acts diiierentially with respect to the pattern field winding 3|.

Field winding Sil of control generator CG, hereinafter called the voltage winding, is energized in dependence upon the voltage in load circuit AI, and to this end connected by leads 23 and 2d across the armature 2@ of the main generator MG. Field winding 35 of control generator CG serves to compensate for the IR drop in the main circuit Al and is connected across winding 22 through leads 23 and 26 and in series with a Calibrating resistor R3. A resistor in cil'- cuit Al may be used in place of coil 22, if desired, to obtain excitation for windings 35 and 45,

'Ihe pattern eld winding 3|, serving to determine the basic speed of the hoist motor as to direction and magnitude, is energized from a current source of constant voltage under control by operator-actuated regulating and reversing means. More in detail, pattern winding. 3l is connectedV to mainsv X and Y of the exciter EX, a reversing switch RS being interposed in order toselect the polarity of the pattern voltage impressedV on iieldwinding 3l. The connectionincludes. a control device CO. which has a resistor RS. connected between main Y and. reversing switch RS.

The reversing switch RS, as illustrated, has two movable contacts tiand i6), each cooperating with .two stationary contacts ti, 62 and il, 12, respectively. In one position of switch RS, Contact 6G is in engagement with contact 6l, and contact l@ with contact ll, in order to energize the hoist motor HM for operationin the hoisting direction. In its other position, the reversing switch RS connects movable contacts 6B, and 1li with stationary contacts 62 and 1.2, respectively, for controlling the hoist motor to operate in the lowering direction, The control device CO is preferably designed like acustomary master controller, while the reversingA switch RSi and its contacts are preferably vformed by electromagnetic contactors whichv are controlled in accordance with the selected. hoisting or lowering position of the master4 controller. Since the particular design of the operator-actuated control elements,

here represented by CO and RS, isV not essential,

for the invention proper and, as such, need not involve novelty over the well'known andv custom,- ary masterV controllers, the simplified illustration in Fig. 1 has beenchosen for the sake of. convenience and clarity.

The armature 26 of the main generator lVIG and the armature 3Q of the control generator CG are mounted on a common shaft 3 which, when in operation, is driven by a constant speed motor Mi. Satisfactory operation can also be obtained if armature 3d is driven at constant speed while armature 2D is actuated by a separate drive whose speed does not vary excessively.

Armature of regulating generator RG is mounted on a common shaft Ewith armature 59 of exciter EX. Shaft 5 is connected to a constant speed motor M2. It will be understood, however, that the illustrated arrangement can be modified by using a single constant speed motor for the operation of both shafts 3 and 5, or by connecting the two shafts 3 and '5 with each other so as to obtain a single motor generator unit.

The regulating generator RG has three iield windings fil, dll, and 45. Field winding fil corresponds to the pattern iield winding 3l of the control generator CG and is connected in series with this winding so as to be energized by the pattern voltage adjusted at the controller CO. Field winding fifi of regulating generator RG is similar in function to the voltage winding 34 of control generator CG and is connected in series therewith across armature 2li of main generator MG, a Calibrating resistor R4 being inserted in series with winding 54. Field winding d5, hereinafter called the regulating winding, is excited in accordance with the current in the feed circuit Ai and to this end connected, through a calibrating rheostat R5 and leads 23 and 25, across the interpole or compensating winding 22 of generator MG in parallel to the IR-drop compensating eld winding S5 of generator CG. When in operation, both windings 35 and d5 are traversed by a current whose magnitude varies in accordance with the Voltage drop across the iield winding 22 or other Voltage measuring resistor in circuit Ai fromwhom the windings 35 and 45 derive their energization.

In order to achieve the control functions in accordance with the above stated objects oi my invention, a particular design of the two auxiliary generators CG and RG and their appertaining field exciting means is necessary, as will be set forth presently.

The control generator CG is a small electric generator, similar in design to conventional exciters. Like exciters, it possesses the ability to accurately amplify small amounts of energy supplied to its iieids into larger output amounts for the control of large electrical machines. However, the control generator possesses this ability to a much higher degree and thus represents a sensitive amplifier, capable of working on very small inputs to its fields to produce a very large output in the armature circuit. This sensitivity and amplification is due to the action of the selfenergized eld winding 32 which feeds a small portion of the control generator output power back into the control generator as excitation t0 produce still more output. IThe self-excited iield is just sufiicient to sustain the generated Voltage but, by itself, is incapable of building up the output. of the machine. Hence, the action of genererator CG is always under the control of one or more of the separately excited iield windings 3l,

- 33, 34', and 35. Stating this another way, the resistance of the external control circuit A2 is adjusted relative to the self-excited iield excitation so that the machine CG operates on its air gap line. Y

With this adjustment of the self-energizedfield, the ampere turns from the other field exciting means (windings 3l, 33, 35,35) can be balanced to the null point. This nullr condition exists when a field excitation which measures the motor speed is balanced by the rleld excitation of the pattern field winding caused by the standard or pattern voltage as adjusted by the operator by selecting the position of the master controller.

rIhe motor speed corresponds to the` fundamental equation:V

Speed=constant (armature voltage-armature IR drop) As stated previously, the Voltage responsive iield winding se of generator CG measures the armaturevoltage of hoist motor HM, and the IR-drop field winding 35 measure the interpole IR drop which is proportional to the armature IR drop ofthe motor I0. The relative polarities of. the two windings 35 and 35 are such that their ampere turns are subtractive and thus satisfy the above equation. The resultant speed measuring ampere turns of windings 35 and 34, as a whole, are balanced against those of the pattern field winding 3l When the motor is running at the speed called for by any selected setting of the master controller, the speed measuring ampere turns cancel ampere turns of the pattern eld. The entire excitation on the control generator comes now from the self-energized eld, and there is no tendency to change the generator excitation. Should the motor speed vary from the proper value, the balance between the pattern and speed measuring excitations is disturbed. The resulting excess ampere turns then act to correct the error in motor speed. In this manner, the control generator CG provides a sensitive and accurate speed regulation.

The regulating generator RG is so designed that the component voltage imposed on circuit A2 remains substantially zero under normal operating and load conditions of the system, so that usually the entire neld excitation of the main generator MG is produced by the control generator in the above-described manner. However, when the load current of the motor HM tends to exceed a given safe limit, the armature di) of generator RG generates a bucking voltage which reduces the resultant field excitation of main field winding 2l suiiciently to prevent a further load increase in the motor circuit Al. To accomplish this limiting eiect, the regulating generator RG has a special characteristic, similar to that shown in Fig. 2. This characteristic (curve V) differs from that of conventional machines by having an extended low voltage or zero voltage interval between points E and F which are both displaced from the zero point O by xed amounts oi eX- citation. Line R represents the resistance line of the generator.

A characteristic of this type can be obtained by providing the eld poles of the generator with a saturable magnetic shunt as exemplified by Fig. 4.

In Fig. 5, numerals 5, to, and Sil denote the shaft, armature, and stator frame, respectively, of the regulating generator RG. The pole structure comprises a base portion 8l in good mag-- netic contact with the stator frame and a pole shoe portion S2 adjacent to the armature. rIhe main pole portion E3 is shunted by a eaturable flux path 35 and contains an air gap or a magnetically reluctant shim iid, for instance of brass. The windings 4i, 44 and 135 of the generator are arranged on the main pole portion 83. The air gap or shim at the top of the main pole portion carries the entire pole flux and hence does not iniiuence the division of flux. It primarily determines the spacing F-E of the zero voltage interval as well as the sha-pe of the characteristic beyond points F and E according to the diagram of Fig. 2. Because of this gap or shim, substann tially all flux iows through the shunt since the reluctance of this path is low, and almost none of it is forced across the air gap into the armature to generate voltage, as long as the resultant field excitation is insuiiicient to saturate the shunt. The shunt 85 is so proportioned that it saturates at an excitation corresponding to points F and E of Fig. 2 and then becomes unable to carry more flux. Consequently, upon saturation of the shunt 85, an increasing field excitation forces liux across the air gap into the armature so that now a voltage is generated. The action,

6 after the shunt has been saturated, is similar to that of a conventional machine.

Due to the fact that ampere turns from the regulating eld winding 45 are used for saturating the magnetic shunt, the output voltage of generator RG is controlled in response to the armature current (and hence torque) of the hoist motor HM. As a result, the above-mentioned bucking voltage of armature 4i) is not effective before the magnetic shunt on the regulating generator RG is saturated, and this saturation effect occurs only when the load current of the hoist motor has exceeded a given safe limit value. The control fields of the regulating generator do not saturate the shunt when performing their normal function since they are balanced against each other so that their net ampere turns are normally zero. In other words, the small transient departures from zero, necessary to obtain the desired regulating function of iield windings I and $4, is insufficient to cause appreciable saturation in the shunt, although these windings are effective to produce the regulating anti-hunting action mentioned presently.

When during a control operation initiated by the operator, the hoist motor approaches full speed, and the voltage of the main generator MG also approaches maximum, the corrective effect required by the RG armature 4t to limit the current in winding 2i oi generator MG will be less because the resultant speed-measuring eld of the control generator Will then cancel a greater portion of pattern field ampere turns (winding 3l) which are tending to cause exces` sive load voltage and current. The voltage field (winding 44) on the regulating generator will also cancel pattern eld ampere turns (winding fil), and this occurs in the same proportion as in the control generator so that the corrective eect of the component voltage generated by the armature 48 is reduced in the right amount to maintain the same motor armature current in circuit Al. It is this simultaneous occurrence, and its corrective eifect, of the regulating action of the speed-dependent and operator-adjusted voltages that decreases the tendency of hunting and thus increases the accuracy, reliability, and permissible speed of control. It is essential in this connection that the component voltage of the regulating generator dil is directly introduced into the eld circuit of the main generator MG so that the inherent time delays of the current regulating means are reduced to a minimum.

In order to further elucidate the above-described operation of the system, reference is had to the schematic diagram of Fig. 3.

In this diagram the values along the ordinate represent the output voltage of the control generator CG, while the values along the abscissa represent the resultant ampere turns of the field winding means of this same generator necessary for obtaining the correlated output voltage. The straight line denoted by RL indicates the resistance line of the circuit A2 while the saturation curve SC indicates the relation of ampere turns to generated volts under operating conditions where the output voltage of the regulating generator RG is zero. Curve DC in Fig. 3 represents the displaced characteristic which occurs when the regulating generator RG generates output voltage due to the occurrence of an overload in the load circuit of the hoisting motor, as explained in the foregoing. This displacement reduces the field excitation of the main generator eld winding 2l in accordance with the voltage value denoted by RV in Fig. 3. The resulting action is a corresponding reduction in the armature voltage of the main generator MG, and

this action continues until the current in the voltage coil 3Q on the control generator CG has caused a difference between the pattern and other control fields equal to the ampere turns indicated by DV in Fig. 3. From then on, the control generator CG continues operating inl accordance with the displaced saturation curve DC.

The shape and slope of the current limiting portion of the voltage-ampere turns characteristic of the control generator can be modified by varying the combination of fields on the regulating generator RG. For instance, with the eld windings arranged as shown in Fig. 1, the characteristic is of the type represented by curve CIr in Fig. 4. By providing a current responsive coil 44 on the regulatinggenerator RG but omitting the current coil Sli on the control generator CG, the characteristic can be changed to the type represented by curve C2 in Fig. 4.

If desired, the regulating eiect of the generator RG can be amplified by providing it with a self-excited shunt field winding. It is further possible to omit a control generator of the type represented by generator CG in Fig. 1 and to arrange the appertaining control windings directly on the main generator, although it will be understood that such a system is not as suitable for high power outputs as the one according to the aboveV describedv embodiment of Fig. 1.

These and other modifications and alterations will be obvious to those skilled in the art and are intended to be within the scope of the essential features of my invention as set forth in the claims appended thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1'. A variable voltage control system comprising a main generator having an output circuit and a main iield winding for controlling the voltage oi said circuit, a control generator and a regulating generator connected with said main iield winding for exciting it in accordance with a resultant voltage depending upon the cornponent voltages generated by said latter two generators respectively, each of said latter generators having field means for controlling said respective component voltages, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing a control voltage variable in accordance with the voltage of said circuit, said different circuit means being connected with said field means of said control generator for exciting said control generator in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, said regulating generator having a saturation characteristic so as to vary the rate of change of said appertaining component voltage when the excitation oi its ield means passes through a given iinite value, and means for exciting said eld means of said regulating generator in dependence upon the load. current in saidl circuit, whereby saidl load current is substantially limited to a safe maximum value.

2. A variable voltage control system comprising a main voltage generator having an output circuit and a main control means ior varying the voltage oi said circuit, a controlling voltage sourcerand a regulating voltage source both connected to said main control means for controlling it in accordance with a resultant effect of the component voltages of said latter two'sources, each of saidV latter two sources having means for controlling. said component voltages respectively, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing a control voltage variable in accordance with the voltage of said circuit, said diiierent circuit means being connected with said' control means of said control voltage sourcev for varying said appertaining component voltage in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, and means for causing said regulating voltage source to vary the rate of change of its appertaining voltage component when the current in said output circuit passes through a given nite value, whereby said current is substantially limited to a given maximum value.

3. A motor control system comprising a variable speed direct current motor, a main voltage supply means having a load circuit connected to said motor for energizing the latter and main control means for varying the voltage of said circuit, a controlling voltage source and a regulating voltage source both connected to said main control means for controlling it in accordance with a. resultant eiiect oi the component voltages of said latter two sources, each of said latter two sources having means for controlling said component voltages respectively, operatorcontrolled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing va, control voltage variable substantially in accordance with the speed of said motor, both said circuit means being connected with said control means of said control voltage source for varying said appertaining component voltage in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, and means for causing said regulating voltage source to vary the rate of change of its appertaining voltage cornponent when the load current of said. motor eX- ceeds a given maximum value.

4. A variable voltage control system comprising a main generator having an output circuit and a main field winding for controlling the voltage of said circuit, a control generator and a regulating generator connected with said main field winding for exciting it in accordance with a resultant voltage depending. upon the component voltages generated by said latter twov generators respectively, each of said latter generators having eld means for'controlling said respective component voltages, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing a control voltage variable in accordance with the voltage of said circuit, said different circuit means being connected with said field means of said control generator and regulatingv generator for exciting both in accordance with the difierential value of said pattern and control volta-ges,

said regulating generator having a saturationV characteristic so as to vary the rate of change of said appertaining component when the current in said output circuit passes through a given finite value, whereby said current is substantially limited to a given maximum value.

5. A motor control system comprising a variable speed direct current motor, a main generator having an armature circuit connected with said motor for energizing the latter and a main field winding for contro-lling the Voltage of said circuit, a control generator and a regulating generator connected with said main eld winding forv exciting it in accordance with a resultant voltage depending upon the component voltages generated by said latter two generators respectively, each of said latter generators having field means for controlling said respective component voltages, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing a control voltage variable in accordance with the voltage of said circuit, said different circuit means being connected with said field means of said control generator and regulating generator for exciting both in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, said regulating generator having a saturation characteristic so as to vary the rate of change of said appertaining component voltage when the excitation of its eld means passes through a given finite value, and means for exciting said eld means of said regulating generator in dependence upon the load current in said circuit, whereby said load current is substantially limited to a safe maximum value.

6. A variable voltage control system comprising a main generator having an output circuit and a main eld winding for controlling the voltage of said circuit, a control generator and a regulating generator connected with said main field winding in opposition to each other for exciting it in accordance with the resultant differential of the component voltages generated by said latter two generators respectively, each of said latter generators having field means for controlling said respective component voltages, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuitmeans for providing a control Voltage variable in accordance with the Voltage of said circuit, said different circuit means being connected with said eld means of said control generator and regulating generator for exciting both in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, said regulating generator having saturation characteristic so that its component voltage is normally substantially zero, and means for exciting said field means of said regulating generator so as to cause said appertaining component voltage to assume an effective value when the load current in said circuit exceeds a given limit magnitude.

7. A motor control system comprising a variable speed direct current motor, a main generator having an armature circuit connected with said motor for energizing the latter and a main eld winding for controlling the voltage of said circuit, a control generator and a regulating generator having respective armatures series-connected with said main field winding in opposition to each other for exciting said main iield winding in accordance with the resultant differential of the component voltages generated by said latter two generators respectively, each of said latter generators having eld means for controlling said respective component voltages, operator-controlled circuit means for providing an adjustable pattern voltage and circuit means for providing a control voltage variable in accordance with the voltage of said circuit, said different circuit means being connected with said eld means or said control generator and regulating generator for exciting both in accordance with the differential value of said pattern and control voltages, said regulating generator having saturation characteristic so that its component voltage is normally substantially zero, and means for exciting said iield means of said regulating generator so as to cause said appertaining component voltage to assume an effective value when the load current in said circuit exceeds a given limit magnitude.

ALBERT W. KIMBALL. 

